The Jackson Generals were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) from 1935 to 1942 and again from 1950 to 1954. The Generals were located in Jackson, Tennessee, and played their home games at Lakeview Ball Park in their first run and at Municipal Park in their second stretch. They were an affiliate of the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in 1953. Over the course of their 12-year run, the Generals played in 1,388 regular season games and compiled a win–loss record of 729–659. Jackson reached the postseason on six occasions, winning one pennant, two half division titles, and two KITTY League championships (1938 and 1940). The team had an overall postseason record of 14–14.

History

Prior professional baseball in Jackson

Professional baseball was first played in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1903 by the

Jackson Railroaders The Jackson Railroaders were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League in 1903. They were located in Jackson, Tennessee, and were named for the city's association with the railroad industry, wh ...

of the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League. They were followed in the KITTY League by the

Jackson Climbers The Jackson Climbers were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League in 1911. The Climbers were located in Jackson, Tennessee, and played their home games at Lakeview Ball Park. The team began ...

in 1911 and the

Jackson Blue Jays The Jackson Jays were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Jackson, Tennessee, from 1924 to 1926. They competed in the Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) in 1924 as the Jackson Blue Jays. They moved to the Class ...

in 1924. The Blue Jays moved to the Tri-State League in 1925 as the

Jackson Giants Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

and became the

Jackson Jays The Jackson Jays were a Minor League Baseball team that played in Jackson, Tennessee, from 1924 to 1926. They competed in the Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) in 1924 as the Jackson Blue Jays. They moved to the Class ...

in 1926.

First run (1935–1942)

In 1935, the city fielded a new team known as the Jackson Generals in the KITTY League. The Generals lost their inaugural season opener at home, 10–7, to the

Lexington Giants Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

on May 22 at Lakeview Ball Park. After two more home losses to Lexington, the Generals won their first game on May 27, beating the

Hopkinsville Hoppers The Hopkinsville Hoppers were a baseball team based in Hopkinsville, Kentucky between 1904 and 1954. The team initially played as the "Browns" in 1904, before adopting the "Hoppers" moniker. Hopkinsville teams played as exclusively as members of ...

on the road, 6–5. Jackson won the second half of the league's split season, but the league refused to award them the second half title because they exceeded the limit of veteran players on their roster. Overall, they posted the highest record in the league with a 50–42 (.543) mark. Despite a winning 62–55 (.530) record in 1936, the Generals failed to win either half of the season. The KITTY League expanded its playoffs in 1937 to include the top four teams over the full season. Jackson finished in a tie for fourth place with the

Mayfield Clothiers The Mayfield Clothiers was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Mayfield, Kentucky that played from 1922 to 1924 and 1936–1955 (with a break from 1942 to 1945 when the league was shut down during World War II). The May ...

, each with records of 63–57 (.525). Jackson lost a one-game playoff with Mayfield for the fourth-place spot, 12–4. A second-place finish in 1938 at 74–54 (.578) put the Generals back in the postseason. They defeated Lexington, three games to none, in the semifinals. With a 2–1 lead on Hopkinsville, the finals were abandoned on September 22 when the Hoppers refused to travel to Jackson for the remainder of the series, citing cold weather and a lack of interest. The Generals were declared the playoff champions. On July 1, 1939, William Pavlige pitched a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

against Hopkinsville in a 5–0 road win. Jackson placed fourth in 1939 at 67–59 (.532), but they were eliminated in the playoff semifinals by the Mayfield Browns, 3–2. 1941 Jackson Generals

Former nine-year major league catcher

Mickey O'Neil George Michael Jakob O'Neil (April 12, 1900 in St. Louis, Missouri – April 8, 1964), was a professional baseball player who played catcher from 1919 to 1927. O'Neil was coaching third base for the Brooklyn Robins when Babe Herman "doubled int ...

led the club as its manager from 1940 to 1942. In his first season, the Generals won the first half and compiled a full-season record of 66–58 (.532). They then defeated the Bowling Green Barons, 4–3, to win their second KITTY League championship. The qualified for the playoffs again in 1941 with a pennant-winning 84–43 (.661) record. Jackson was eliminated in the semifinals by Mayfield, 3–1. On June 19, 1942, the league disbanded following the withdrawal of two teams which faced financial difficulties and a vote by the remaining clubs to discontinue the circuit. Jackson lost its final game on the road to Bowling Green, 8–2. The Generals held a third-place 29–19 (.604) record in the abandoned season. The KITTY League was nonoperational from 1943 to 1945 during World War II, and Jackson did not field another team through 1949. Over eight seasons of competition the Generals accumulated a regular season record of 495–387 (.561).

Second run (1950–1954)

The Jackson Generals returned to the KITTY League in 1950 after a seven-year absence. Instead of Lakeview Ball Park, the team played at Municipal Park at the fairgrounds. Managed by former major league third baseman

Glen Stewart Glen Weldon Stewart (September 29, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was a Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of ...

, the Generals won their 1950 opener with a home win over Hopkinsville, 4–3, on May 3. Jackson placed third at 68–52 (.567) but were eliminated in the playoff semifinals, 3–2, by the

Fulton Railroaders Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

. Stewart's 1951 team just missed the playoffs with a fifth place 59–61 (.492) mark. The 1952 squad, managed at different times by a pair of player-managers and eventually former skipper Mickey O'Neil, placed seventh of eight teams with a record of 48–71 (.403). In 1953, the Generals became an affiliate of the

. Under O'Neil, Jackson placed sixth at 58–62 (.483). Cincinnati did not continue its affiliation with Jackson in the 1954 season. They opened the campaign with a 20–0 loss to the

Union City Dodgers The Union City Dodgers were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League (KITTY League) from 1935 to 1942 and 1946 to 1955. They were located in Union City, Tennessee, and played their home games ...

on the road. This was the first of 26 consecutive losses. Their first win came on May 31 in the second game of a doubleheader when they defeated the

Madisonville Miners The Madisonville Miners were a minor league baseball team based in Madisonville, Kentucky. Madisonville played in various seasons between 1896 and 1955. The Madisonville Miners teams played as members of the Class D level Kentucky–Illinois–T ...

, 10–2. The team's poor play resulting in low attendance and financial loses, the team's owner surrendered the franchise to the league on June 1. Their final record was 1–26 (.037). The franchise was eventually placed in Central City, Kentucky, as the Central City Reds on July 5. In their second stretch of four years, Jackson accumulated a record of 234–272 (.462). Over all 12 years of competition, the Generals had an all-time record of 729–659 (.525). Jackson was not represented in professional baseball again until 1998 when the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx joined the Double-A Southern League. In 2011, the franchise renamed itself the Jackson Generals.

Season-by-season results

Notable players

Ten Generals also played at least one game in Major League Baseball during their careers. These players and their seasons with Jackson were: * Orlin Collier (1937) *

Tommy Giordano Thomas Arthur Giordano (October 9, 1925 – February 14, 2019) was an American professional baseball baseball player, player, scout (sport), scout, front-office executive and minor league baseball, minor-league player-manager. In , at age 92 and i ...

(1954) * Ellis Kinder (1938–1941) *

Joe Klinger Joseph John Klinger (August 2, 1902 – July 31, 1960) was a first baseman, catcher, and left fielder who played in Major League Baseball in 1927 and 1930. Klinger played in three games for the New York Giants in 1927 and in four games for t ...

(1937) *

(1940–1942) * Bill Nagel (1935) *

Mule Shirley Ernest Raeford "Mule" Shirley (May 24, 1901 – August 4, 1955) was a Major League Baseball player who played first base during parts of the and seasons. He batted and threw left-handed. For the 1924 Washington Senators, he logged 100 regular ...

(1937) *

(1950–1951) * Herb Welch (1936–1938) * Ed Wright (1938, 1942)

References

{{reflist

External links

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''Statistics from ''Stats Crew''
1935 establishments in Tennessee 1954 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams established in 1935 Baseball teams disestablished in 1954 Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Defunct minor league baseball teams Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League Professional baseball teams in Tennessee Sports in Jackson, Tennessee